Month: July 2017

The folks at the nursing home did not want my mother-in-law attempting to get out of bed. Likewise, they did not want her attempting to stand up when she was sitting in her wheel chair. So they clipped this little… Continue Reading →

I ran into the donut shoppe on Laurel Street for an iced coffee the other morning and ran right into Ed Paradis. I knew it was going to be a good day. I’ve known Ed since he was a kid.… Continue Reading →

Okay. Here’s the piece on mangoes I intended to write a few blogs ago before I got sidetracked. I had just returned from visiting my daughter and her family in Austin, Texas. My grandson is now 7 months old and… Continue Reading →

The first two words in Bill Wellock’s piece on Red Jones on page 3 of today’s Citizens Voice are “Bill” and “Ackerman.” That’s my brother. He’s one of the first people Wellock sought out as he prepared a feature story… Continue Reading →

The weatherman is calling for a sunny afternoon Saturday with less humidity. That’s good. I have plans. They involve two of Greater Pittston’s best kept secrets, but that designation, I believe, won’t last much longer, if it indeed still applies… Continue Reading →

I was going to write about something else today. Mangoes, actually. But that can wait. It’s mid-summer and, among other things, that means I can take my time in the morning to knock out a blog and I can do… Continue Reading →

The hardest thing about becoming a full-time college professor 27 years ago was not having tangible evidence that I had earned my pay check. Every week for the previous 23 years I had gained immeasurable satisfaction from holding the fruits… Continue Reading →

I have a torn meniscus. At least that’s what the orthopedic doctor thinks. He won’t know for sure until I get an MRI and I won’t get an MRI until the folks at my health insurance company say I can.… Continue Reading →

About the Optimist

Ed Ackerman, a consulting editor and columnist for the Greater Pittston Progress, has served the people of Greater Pittston for 48 years, starting in the newspaper field at age 17. The Pittston resident will share his thoughts in this blog and in a weekly column published in the Progress. greaterpittstonprogress.com